(Closed) Donation to the Church, when to give?

We are getting married in a Catholic Church and the only form of “payment” to get married there is a donation of any value. My question is, when is the best time to give the donation? Before or after the wedding?

The priest I talked to told me that it would be nice to get the donation before. So I just donated the same time I booked the date at the church. However, from the way he said it, it sounds like it’s not uncommon to provide the donation after the wedding either.

We paid for the church rental before the ceremony and provided a donation to the priest after the ceremony. I would ask your church secretary what your parish prefers/what is normal.

Ours said that, since the priest isn’t paid extra for doing the ceremony (he’s basically doing it as a “service” to the church), he is often given a donation in appreciation of his services after the wedding. She said the best man usually hands over the donation after the ceremony; we didn’t have a bridal party, though, so my dad did it instead.

Typically, there are a couple of donations. Some of the most common are as follows:

1) Donation to the Priest/Church for the use of the facilities

2) Donation to the wedding coordinator who works for the Church who helps you coordinate where to stand, the reading selections, order of procession, coordination of rehearsal, etc…[basically, to keep things flowing smoothly]

3) Donation to the cantors & musicians

Good amounts are as follows:

Church – $200 to $300

Wedding Coordinator – $100 – $150

Cantors/Musicians – $50 – $100 per person

These are given the fact that this is your parish. If this is neither yours or your FI parish, it might be more.

We booked a church that is not our parish. Upon booking the church, we provided donations for the church, the organist and the janitorial staff. I understand it is customary to give the priest a donation on the day of the wedding but we’re not sure how much…what is customary?